Chances are if you’re reading this website, you love your child. It kind of comes with being a parent. It seems when a new little one is delivered to us, a big new bundle of love is delivered too. But what do you LIKE about your child? Most parents don’t really stop to think about […]
parenting
A new look at quality time
Worried that you don’t spend enough time teaching your child and boosting their school and life success? Here’s a new look at quality time Last fall, Patrick Ishizuka, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, published a report exploring what 21st Century parents consider important in rearing their children. It was based on an […]
Insights on Discipline 4: Guiding Development With Positive Parenting
What Is “Positive Parenting”??? “Positive Parenting” is a widely embraced approach to child rearing, sometimes also called positive discipline, that focuses on trying to understand the reasons children behave as they do and guiding them in ways that are positive and kind rather than punitive. If you enter the term in your search engine you […]
Insights on Discipline Part 2: What We Can Learn From Behaviorism
A little background Behaviorism held sway throughout the first six decades of the 20th century. It’s based on the idea that human and animal behavior can be explained and taught by training, or conditioning, through a system of rewards and reinforcements. It does not consider emotions, feelings, individual skills, or personal volition. The big names […]
Insights on Discipline, Part 1: Introduction
What “discipline” means It’s pretty easy to equate “discipline” with punishment, or trying to stop poor behavior, but as you probably know, discipline does not mean punishment. It’s really important to remember that as parents. We sometimes hear that military leaders strive to “maintain discipline.” That suggests controlling people with punishment or with nasty consequences […]
The Trouble With Praise (and what to do instead)
It’s totally natural to get excited about our children’s accomplishments and successes. We feel proud and we want to share their joy. It feels great when our child scores a winning goal, aces a test, makes varsity, has artwork displayed, plays a solo in orchestra, or stays balanced on a bike. What’s not to like? […]
6 Tips for building a rich relationship with your child and scaffolding skillful behavior
These six strategies nurture your child and yourself and strengthen the close trusting bonds between you. If you decide to use them, you’ll find you and your child are calmer, happier, more connected. Plus, you’ll also be amazed at how much more responsibly your child will behave!!! Each of the tips is based on developmental science […]
Take Advantage of the Restorative Power of Nature
When your child (or you!) needs to de-stress and restore, getting out into nature has a quick and astounding impact. Classrooms, work and urban environments require us to focus attention and block out distractions. It’s mentally exhausting and causes physical and mental fatigue in children and adults. Being in nature has the opposite effect. It […]
Book Review: The Yes Brain
Siegel, Daniel & Bryson, Tina Payne, (2018). The Yes Brain: How to cultivate courage, curiosity, and resilience in your child. New York: Bantum. ISBN:978-0-399-59466-3 The word “Yes” in the new book, The Yes Brain, by psychiatrist Daniel Siegel and social worker Tina Bryson, refers to saying “yes” to the world — to being open, […]
Are You Trying To Control Too Much????
A lot of parenting involves managing the lives of others and making sure things get done. There are a lot of expectations about what should happen and when. You may also have expectations about what your child should be like or how your child should behave and think. Sometimes this gets in the way […]